Week 4: Getting my 4K bike!

This week was a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure situation because there was an error with the provided training plan– no scheduled rides! It ended up being the perfect week for that error though because my motivation to ride and prepare for this summer was super high after getting my 4K bike on Tuesday!!! Here’s the run-down:

Sunday: I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a bus after my terrain park misadventure on Saturday and took the day off.

Monday: Another rest day because I had to drive back to Kentucky. It was actually one of the quickest trips I’ve had but still took about 9 hours. I did go up about 15 flights of stairs in the process of loading and unloading my car though, so we’ll call this an active rest day!

Tuesday: I went in to Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling in Lexington to pick up my 4K bike! For those unfamiliar with the process, I was eligible to receive my bike after passing the $1,500 fundraising mark. The Ulman Foundation partners with a bike retailer each year to make sure every rider has a reliable bike to get them across the country. They’ve partnered with Jamis for the past few years so I reached out to Scheller’s because they are the only Jamis retailer in my area. I was put in touch with their cycling manager, Andy, who was incredibly helpful and willing to help with getting the bike assembled and fitted for me. I had the bike shipped directly to Scheller’s, and Andy had it assembled within a day of it arriving. The entire process was a lot quicker than I expected (especially considering current supply chain issues) and I’m so grateful to Ulman, Jamis, and Andy for making everything happen so quickly!

At Scheller’s, Andy had me get on the bike on a trainer, took some measurements, and made some adjustments to make the bike fit more comfortable for me. He didn’t make any huge adjustments but even small changes make a huge difference on the bike. I also had no idea what model bike I would be receiving or what color it would be before seeing it for the first time (which isn’t really a big deal but also is a kinda big deal haha) and was very happy to see Andy wheel out this beauty :)

I was especially thankful for Andy’s help setting up my bike shoes and clipless pedals. The bike came with standard flat pedals but most road cyclists use clipless pedals to increase efficiency when pedaling. The term “clipless” is a bit of a misnomer at first glance because your feet do indeed clip in to the pedals. Basically, older pedals had a clip or strap to attach your feet to the pedals, so newer pedals are clipless in the sense that they have a cleat that your shoe can snap into when you apply downward pressure. To get your foot unclipped, you typically rotate your ankle away form the bike to snap out of the cleat. There’s a bit of a learning curve (and usually a few falls) associated with using clipless pedals, but I’ve been using them since I did RAGBRAI in 2014 so it’s not something I need to get used to. This article gives a better explanation of pedal terminology and technology than I can give here!

Back to my fitting process: I brought a set of clipless pedals from an old bike and a new pair of cleats I got for Christmas with me so the fitting process could be done to mirror how I will actually be positioned on the bike when I ride. I had attached the cleat hardware to the shoe myself so I wouldn’t lose the pieces but they weren’t positioned correctly at all, so Andy readjusted them for me and attached the pedals too. Having your cleat in the wrong spot can lead to injuries and I have experienced some knee pain in the past, so I was glad to have his help with that!

I loaded the bike onto my car rack and drove home with even more paranoia than usual that someone was going to rear end me and destroy my bike but made it home safe and sound. I had to complete a three hour online training session when I got back which was a bit of a buzzkill, but I outfitted the bike with a saddlebag, lights, some sensors, a Garmin GPS mount, and a bottle cage during the breaks. I do still need to buy a few things for this bike, but in the meantime I’m borrowing things like the bottle cage and light mounts from my other bikes.

I took the bike out for a quick spin before the sun went down and I wish I could’ve ridden longer! I have a pretty nice road bike already but this is the first time I’ve had a brand new bike as an adult and I couldn’t stop smiling the whole ride, I was giddy with excitement. The bike rides so smoothly, handles rough roads with no issues, and is super comfortable too.

A huge improvement from my other bike is the gear ratio. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry, I don’t really either. Basically, it has fewer gears (16- vs. 22-speed) but has a wider range of gears. I used to have to either use the lowest gear (aka granny gear) on my previous bike or stand up to power through some of the hills on the trail, but now I can comfortably cruise up them with gears to spare. My old bike’s gear ratio was a huge issue for me on some of the hillier century rides I did over the summer, so I’m very optimistic that this new bike will be more suitable for the terrain I’ll be facing this summer.

Wednesday: I had planned on going to the gym but it was a super dreary day in Lexington, so I did a workout at home using some resistance bands.

Thursday: Campus was closed due to ice and I kicked myself for not going to the gym yesterday. I actually had a pretty productive day despite staying in my apartment, I usually need to go somewhere else to get a lot done! I took a break from school stuff to do bodyweight strength circuits and a 30-minute ride on the trainer.

Friday: Campus was closed again but the gym was open for a few hours (weird, but I’m not complaining). It was packed after two days of terrible weather so I spent a lot of time waiting for machines to open up, but still got a good full body workout in.

Saturday: I spent the majority of the day giving my apartment a much-needed decluttering and figuring out next steps for my thesis. I did an indoor ride which I decided to call “just one episode of Succession” instead of “an hour on the trainer”… it helped a little.

Mileage: 43.56 miles/3 rides

Lessons learned:

• Getting a brand new bike is super fun :)
• I am starting to form a codependent relationship with the Weather Channel app.
• People are so generous!

More on that last lesson: this week has really shown me just how supportive and giving people can be. From Andy’s help with the bike, to donations from people I’ve never met, to messages of encouragement from 4K alumni, I have been so appreciative of all the help and support I’ve received this week. All of these acts of generosity speak volumes about just how deeply cancer has affected so many people. It is certainly a tragic point, but it’s at least a little heartwarming to see how many people are willing to contribute to help the cause.

Next week will be interesting in terms of training because I’m visiting my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. The good news is the weather is going to be great and he also likes to bike, the bad news is he’s about 5 inches taller than me so finding a bike that fits me will not be an easy task. I’m also flying United, which means I have to choose between paying to check a bag to bring a bunch of cycling gear I may not even use or packing minimally… at least the latter will be good practice for this summer!

Until next time,
Lauren